No one likes having to take precautions against mosquitoes. They usually involve messy creams or lotions, foul-smelling sprays, and bulky, inconvenient netting. Companies have been touting ultrasonic mosquito repellents for almost 40 years; today, people can buy a whole range of ultrasonic hardware products and even download apps for mobile phones. It sounds too good to be true.
A series of studies, performed from over a period of 36 years, and that culminated in The Cochrane Collaboration’s definitive 2010 paper, thoroughly debunks the idea of ultrasonic mosquito repellents. In fact, some of the data indicate that more mosquitoes landed on people protected by an ultrasonic repellent! The study concluded that these devices should neither be recommended nor used.
Worldwide, more than 250 million people get malaria and/or other mosquito-borne diseases every year. About a million of those people die. While it is true that malaria has largely been eradicated in the United States, there were still 2,000 cases reported in 2013. Five people died, and the mosquitoes were to blame.
You shouldn’t take chances with your safety or the safety of your family. The only way to be sure of protecting yourself is to have a pest control company handle any mosquito infestation problems. Of course, you should still use netting and strong liquid repellents, but a fully qualified and trained pest control company can rid your yard of mosquitoes. Remember, funky gadgets and cool-looking apps do not work; the science proves it. There is absolutely no reason at all you shouldn’t protect yourselves. It’s really quite simple; all you have to do is pick up the phone.
